Northumberland Strait Home Insurance for Your Shoreside Dwelling
The Nova Scotia side of the Northumberland Strait is an ideal place to work, play, and raise a family. Known as the Northumberland Shore, this collection of small towns and cities lies along the Sunrise Trail (Route 66), famous for its stunning coastal views and the most warm-weather beaches in Canada. With a combined population of less than 39,000 spread across 338 kilometres, you can choose either town life or solitude.
Living on the Northumberland Strait gives you anytime access to nature and hiking trails, a burgeoning culinary community famous for lobster and seafood, museums, cultural festivals, and of course, beaches. Visit the 5-star restaurant at the 4-diamond Fox Harb’r Resort, hike along the Cape George Trail, or attend the Jubilee East Coast Music Festival in New Glasgow.
Enjoy four-season weather, which brings 22 C Atlantic temperatures in the summer and beautiful snow in the winter. However, this also means the potential for Nor’easters, hurricanes, heavy spring snowmelt and runoff, and coastal flooding, all of which can damage or destroy your home. Let HUB build a Northumberland Strait home insurance policy to protect your dwelling and belongings from nature and other risks.
Northumberland Strait Home Insurance Coverage
While Nova Scotia does not require you to have Northumberland Strait home insurance, your bank or mortgage company will want one to protect its interest. Having enough coverage to replace your property and its contents in the event of complete destruction is ideal. You should also consider the risks specific to your area, such as flooding from storm surges and groundwater seepage.
Standard Coverage
A standard home insurance policy typically offers the following coverages:
- Dwelling: This covers the physical structure of your house and attached structures like decks from risks such as fires, hail, strong winds, and vandalism.
- Personal Property: This coverage compensates you for your personal belongings inside your home. Note that many policies only cover a percentage or fixed dollar amount of replacement costs. You might consider separate coverage for valuable art or jewelry.
- Detached Structures: This covers outbuildings such as separate garages and sheds.
- Liability: This protects you from any third-party injury or accidental property damage that occurs in your home. Coverage usually includes legal fees and settlements or judgements.
- Additional Living Expenses: This coverage will help pay for temporary housing and living expenses if your home sustains insured damage and is uninhabitable.
Standard policies also might include Voluntary Medical Payments and Voluntary Property Damage insurance, which cover injuries to someone in your home or unintentional damage to their property, regardless of who is at fault.
Optional Riders and Endorsements
There are additional riders and endorsements you can add to your Northumberland Strait home insurance due to specific local risks not covered by standard policies:
- Flood: There is an increased risk of overland flooding due to Nor’easters and hurricane remnants, and this rider adds coverage for related water damage.
- Earthquake: While not a well-known threat, Northumberland Shore is a moderate seismic hazard zone, so you may consider purchasing an earthquake rider.
- Sewer Backup: Heavy rainfalls, coastal flooding, and spring thaws can easily overwhelm municipal sewer systems, causing backups that can easily cause structural and personal property damage.
- Business Interruption: If you run a business out of your home, this coverage can compensate for lost income, operating expenses, and relocation.
Tourism Considerations
Given the heavy local tourist traffic, there are a few additional coverages you might consider, especially if you rent space to visitors:
- Short-term Rental Insurance
- Enhanced Property Insurance
- Umbrella Rider
These additions to your Northumberland Strait home insurance will help cover expensive items in your household and anything that exceeds your existing policy limits.